


Reaching the Attic

by InfernoCantoV



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Roeder POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29590629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfernoCantoV/pseuds/InfernoCantoV
Summary: Roeder takes his new job as Kaz' spider very seriously and as it turns out, he's actually quite good at it.
Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	Reaching the Attic

It had been a couple of months now since I had replaced the Wraith as Brekker’s spider along with Pim. It had become a two person job, and even now we barely managed to cover as much ground as the Wraith used to. But I tried, I tried to push myself just a little further every day. A little faster, a little higher, a little quieter. During her time in the Dregs Inej had been mostly invisible, but now that she was off to sea for weeks at a time I found myself slightly obsessed with her and her legend. I wanted to learn as much about her as I possibly could if I were to try to replace her, but I’m no acrobat. 

Inej, Captain Ghafa now, continues to be invisible. I would try to trail her, if only to test myself whenever she was back in Ketterdam, but I always lost her sooner than I even truly realised. The truth is, no one really knows anything about her. We all only know the basics. Captured by slavers, sold to Tante Heleen’s pleasure house, brought into the Dregs by Brekker. 

We all thought the same thing at the time. The weird Brekker boy had found some Suli whore to warm his bed and somehow, with his devious mind, managed to pay for her out of Per Haskell’s pocket. But we should’ve known better. Brekker was many things, but not that kind of guy. And Inej, well, she soon became legendary for things that had nothing to do with the art of the bedroom. 

I knew Brekker trusted her, I knew they still worked together. I had to collect intel on slavers and brothels often enough and I knew the info was of no real use to Brekker himself. In exchange, letters would arrive stamped in different ports around the True Sea, often followed quickly by an inexplicable sum added to the Dregs’ coffers. 

Yesterday The Wraith docked its usual berth and I tried to follow Captain Ghafa from the docks as another exercise or self-test. I managed to trail her towards the Van Eck mansion but lost her almost as soon as she said her goodbyes to Jesper and Wylan. I still had no idea where she stayed in Ketterdam. She was never on board her ship during the nights, always left the Van Eck house before midnight, and could rarely be spotted at the Slat or the Crow Club. She must have a house or at least a room. Ghezen knows she’s rich enough, the entire legendary Ice Court crew is. So far, though, I’ve utterly failed at collecting any intel on her whatsoever. 

This morning I’m trying a new exercise. Coincidently, the only person who’s ever managed to climb the Slat all the way to Brekker’s attic room is Inej herself. This was a double exercise for me, to climb it but to remain absolutely unseen and unnoticed. I didn’t even want to think about what Brekker would do if he found me lurking about his window. But Brekker was out now, I spotted him on his way to Fifth Harbour just as dawn was breaking. It was now or never. 

I managed well until I reached the third floor. Any higher than that there was barely anything to hold on to. No drain pipes, no window sills, barely any bricks sticking out. I had two knives on me and managed to wedge them in between the bricks, creating two new handholds and switching them out as I slowly, very slowly made my way up. I tried very hard to ignore how deep the plunge would be if I failed at this exercise. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to try this. The muscles in my arms and legs were just about to give out when I finally reached Brekker’s narrow window sill. Two crows were flying around my head, almost as if they were trying to get me to lose focus and drop. Reaching my left foot to a brick that stuck out just slightly I was now finally eye level with Brekker’s window. 

I had seen almost all of the Slat, stayed in most female co-members’ rooms, but I had never seen this room. It was clean and organised. A makeshift desk, a small armoire, city and nautical maps lining the walls and a bed in the corner. Though I knew Brekker was loaded, the only expensive thing I could spot were the bedsheets and – Shit! Was that black hair poking out from under the sheets? Wasn’t Brekker supposed to be out? Did I climb so slowly he managed to limb all the way to Fifth Harbour and back, up the Slats’ stairs and fall asleep? But it couldn’t be, the figure was too small. Before I could even think of reversing back down to the street the door to the attic room swung open and Brekker walked inside. Apparently I did climb very slowly. I should make my way back down before Brekker spotted me and pushed me of the ledge to the cobbled streets below, but just then the figure turned and I watched as Inej stretched her arms over her head and smiled up at Kaz, who dropped what looked to be fresh waffles down on the bed. 

I could not believe my eyes, and I could not look away either. It was as if my eyes were glued to the scene in front of me. Part of me had never expected to see this. I mean, it was Brekker. The coldest, cruellest and most wicked Barrel Boss, whose eyes were always cold and calculating. And Inej, who seems so unreachable you might actually start to wonder if she was real at all. I liked Inej, she was deadly and dangerous, but also probably the only good person walking the Barrel. As for Brekker, the word “good” never exactly came to mind… I watched as he stripped off his coat and vest, chucked off his shoes, took off his gloves (revealing normal looking hands, to my eternal surprise) and dropped onto the bed, looking only at Inej the entire time. I watched as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head against his chest. He wrapped his one arm around her, while reaching for the waffles with his other. 

The entire scene looked normal, domestic even, if they had been other people. In this exact moment, in this attic room, I couldn’t get a glimpse of the dangerous Barrel Boss and the fearsome Captain. I could only see a boy and a girl, wrapped up in their own little world with the entirety of Ketterdam looming outside their window. 

Part of me, weirdly, was not surprised at all, though. This explained so much. It felt like it was something I’ve always known but never realised. Almost like going your entire life trusting that if you throw something it will fall down to earth without ever realising it’s called gravity. I realised it now, though, that there would never be a Kaz Brekker without Inej, and Inej wouldn’t be here without Kaz either. Everything they do, they do in some measure for or with each other. The other thing I realised, was that I had never seen Brekker smile. Not even once. I was only familiar with his wicked grin, the one that promised violence or preceded the explanation of an insane plan. But here it was, an actual smile and warm brown eyes. 

I smiled to myself, finally easing myself down the letch and towards the street below again. I must be the best spider in the barrel. Not only did I make it to the attic room and back, I remained unseen, I figured out where the hell Captain Ghafa slept during her Ketterdam visits, and I managed to find the weak spots of two of Ketterdam’s most wanted criminals. This secret though, would be mine to keep. I dropped down to the cobbled street and walked into the Slat through its front door, finally heading to bed and catching up on some sleep before, inevitably, the boss would come downstairs again and another day’s work would await me.


End file.
